Aircraft wing structures, such as the main wings or the horizontal and vertical stabilizers of an empennage, are subject to torque forces during flight. Accordingly, the wing structures typically include torque boxes to reinforce the wing structures against these torque forces. Torque boxes often include a plurality of ribs oriented to extend along a chord direction of the wing structure. In some applications, the ribs are attached directly to the skin of the wing structure, in which case stringer holes are formed in the rib to accommodate stringers extending in a span direction of the wing structure. The stringer holes may reduce the ability of the rib to distribute loads near the stringers, and therefore it is known to attach the rib to the stringers using stringer clips.
The use of stringer clips to connect the rib to the stringers may introduce several inefficiencies. For example, the clips are connected to both the rib and a selected stringer, thereby complicating manufacturing of the wing structure. Additionally, the stringer clips are typically attached to the web with fasteners, which not only adds weight but also includes holes formed in the rib. Thus, it would be desirable to connect the rib to stringers in a manner that avoids these disadvantages.